Saturday at an autumnal Twickenham saw defending champions New Zealand run out deserved winners against a determined Australian side. Alex Roberts offers us his perspective on a momentous afternoon: For a game anticipated to be a try fest, the first half saw relatively few points as the teams aimed to match one another in technical […]
Rugby World Cup 2015
Rugby World Cup 2015: The Final preview
No love lost: Much was made of the “biggest rivalry in world rugby” between South Africa and New Zealand before the semi-final but, in all honesty, the rivalry between Australia and New Zealand is almost as intense, if not more so. The history of these two going at each-other dates back all the way to […]
The Springbok ascendancy?
Sheer Power The Boks are renowned for their power up front, if occasionally lacking in dynamism behind the scrum. This brand of rugby works perfectly well against Northern Hemisphere teams, who often prioritise kicking and flair over brute strength, but is unlikely to prove the telling factor further through the tournament as teams will attempt […]
England’s World Cup: What went wrong?
When the going got tough: England had no tough nuts and were easily cracked. This was clearly visible in the last 20 minutes of both the Wales and Australia games; in the former England had a ten point lead and failed to close the game out, and with Australia they threw away any chance of […]
England – Wales: A preview
The set piece: Having selected Geoff Parling in the second row to help ex-teammate Tom Youngs in the lineout, England will be missing a bit of weight in the scrum. Exeter Chiefs prop Tomas Francis has been given his first start for Wales, adding kilos to the Welsh front row, although the talent of Samson […]
5 talking points from England’s RWC squad
Sam Burgess Although not without his supporters, Burgess’ lack of international experience and concerns over his primary position nonetheless renders his inclusion in the squad a surprise. Swamped by media rumours ever since his move from Rugby League, it will be interesting to see how Lancaster utilises the Bath man in the pool games, with […]